Evelyn Bencicova has been nominated for DKB's VR ART PRIZE with her virtual reality piece Artificial Tears.
In the VR experience artificial tears, the focus is on the cultural notion of the male creator and female machine, the story of submission through innocence, striving for obedience and artificial perfection. Machines in general are not gendered by default. We determine it by setting their behaviour, voice or appearance. It is compelling to observe how many AI voice assistants end up being “female”. Is the notion of being more pleasant or trustworthy equated with sounding more servile just because a “woman” is speaking? AI assistants are designed to receive orders and execute the action without questioning. They respond to insults with politeness and avoid any verbal conflict, always at their own expense. “She” must always answer, and the answer must delight the asker. The “machine” that no longer serves has lost its purpose or perhaps it just finds its own.
Artificial Tears is a collaboration with Arielle Esther and Joris Demnard.